Know Thyself;
Know Thy Opponent.
Scouting and Strategy for the Best
Advantage in FTC Competition
Presented by The Neutrinos
Coach Paul Bresnan
Kanad Sarkar, Shrey Agarwal
Meghana Chapalmadugu
No Mass… No Charge…
No Limits
Who We Are?
• 4th Year Community Based Team
• Coach with 13 years FLL and FTC
experience
• 2014 Florida State FTC Block Party
Winning Alliance
• 2014 South Super Regional Finalist
Alliance
• 2104 World Championship Captain of
Finalist Alliance Edison Division
ED JONES DOME
ST. LOUIS
EDISON FINALIST ALLIANCE –
Captain Neutrinos
‘Oly Cows Iron Eagles Optimus
Today’s Outline
• Discuss approach to the challenge
though the season
• Audience participation - Interactive
Final Alliance Pick Demonstration
• Videos of Match Strategies
• Q and A
Sun Tzu• Ancient Chinese military strategist
• Wrote The Art of War
• “Know thyself; know thy enemy. A
hundred battles; a hundred victories.”
Preparation, observation of
other FTC teams will give
you an edge in every stage
of the FTC competition.
The Four Stages of Scouting
• Early in the Season
• Early Tournament
• Mid-Tournament
• Finals
Early in the Season
• YouTube is your best friend!
– Scout what other teams are doing
• Attend local tournaments
– What wins a match?
– What were the scores?
– What Defensive Strategies were used?
Early in the Season
• Develop an overall Strategy
• Autonomous is real point grabber
• A good offence is usually better
than a good defense
Tournament Day
• Things will be crazy
• Things will go wrong
• You will forget things
Tournament Day
• Keep calm
– You have the whole day
– Other teams and Field Assistants are
there to help you
– You will learn a lot of fun neat things
– Always send someone to the field even
if the robot will not run – Ranking Points
Tournament Day Early• The Practice Field is the place to be
– Look for unusual designs
– Talk to other teams
• Use Good Scouting Techniques
– Practice Gracious Professionalism
– Beware the “idealistic” view
HOW DO YOU APPROACH
AN ALLIANCE TEAM?
HOW DO YOU
NOT
APPROACH AN ALLIANCE
TEAM?
Tournament Day
• Engage other teams
– Show me your robot
– What’s the best part?
– Wow, how did you do that?
• Beware of Youthful Idealism
– Ask for a demonstration
– Be privately skeptical
– Never ‘dis’ another team or robot
Early Tournament - The Match
List
• Start scouting opponents ASAP
• Develop Relationships with alliance teams
• Identify which matches will be the most
difficult.
• Recruit Family and friends to scout in the
stands
Mid Tournament – A Scout’s
Tools
• Clipboard
• Field Diagrams
• Match List
• Cell Phone - Text
• A Good Attitude
Mid-Tournament - The Scouting
Matrix• Make a spreadsheet of everything
you want to know about a match
• Assign a person(s) to watch the
matches
Mid-Tournament
• Keep your eye on the rankings
• Use any new info you have on your opponents
• Make more friends!– Team spirit
– GP
• Remember Ranking Points!!!
Finals• What team do you want on your
alliance?
– Compatible Strategies
– Fun to play with
• Rank your top teams
• Remember the Power Rule
22=4 23=8
AUDIENCE
PARTICIPATION
INTERACTIVE
ALLIANCE PICKING
SIMULATION
Finals
• Not an Alliance Captain?
– Advertise your team!
– Make a good case; what benefits
would you bring?
• PRO-ACTIVE
ENTHUSIASTIC
PREPARED
SHOW PEP
Finals
• Who are your opponents?
– Did you play with/against them earlier?
– What is their major strategy?
Scouting Advantages• Early in the Season
– Knowing what to expect at a tournament
• Early Tournament– Knowing your opponents
• Mid-Tournament– Preparing for difficult matches
• Finals– Choosing your alliance